Only five months into Richard Strauss's 150th anniversary year, I was wondering if I'd already heard enough of his music for a while. But this concert, part of the London Symphony Orchestra's Strauss 150 series, came as a breath of fresh air.

The main reason was the ­inclusion of Strauss's first symphonic poem, ­Macbeth, a fascinating piece that is almost never done, ­inexplicably so to judge from this ­wonderful ­performance under Mark Elder. As Elder explained in his ­generous introduction, ­the tone poem doesn't tell the story of ­Macbeth so much as paint ­psychological portraits of its ­characters and their relationships with each other. The orchestra ­magnificently brought out the way Lady Macbeth's material slides into the room, its semitonal ­windings seeping into the more ­foursquare heroism of her husband's material. Also fascinating was how Strauss pointed to the genuine romantic and optimistic passion between ­Macbeth and his wife.

Elder worked wonderfully with this orchestra, particularly in the opening, Op 7, wind serenade, but also in the ­concluding Till Eulenspiegel. ­Listening to the players and incorporating their lead in his conducting paid Elder rich musical ­dividends. In both works, the woodwind was in stupendous form, and in the ­Serenade, the conductor's only role seemed to be one of occasionally ­drawing each player gently back from their reveries and into the fold.

The final breath of fresh air came not from Strauss but Mozart, with Imogen ­Cooper's performance of E flat piano concerto K482. This can be a staid work, but here it was a marvel of charm, wit and restraint. I can't think when I've heard it better played.

• This review was amended on 8 May 2014. An earlier version referred to Mozart's E flat piano concerto K471 rather than K482.